kindly evaluate my profile and guide me

I read your profile and the first thing that struck me was that you haven’t given much thought to what you really want to do. To you this is just the ‘next step’ rather than something you feel strongly about. Now there is nothing wrong with this per se, but unless you have a reasonably clear picture of what you want to do and more importantly feel strongly about your goals, you are NOT going to be able to write great essays, which are what you need to get into some of the schools you’ve mentioned.

One of the first things you need to do is research the kind of work you would like to do post MBA. You don’t have to know exactly, but you do need to have a reasonably clear idea. Because of your interest in consulting and economics, just want to point out that there are a few consultancies that specialize in economic consulting (e.g. NERA Economic Consulting). If this is the kind of job you want then you might be better off applying to London School of Economics (LSE). Again, this is for you to decide. When you research your target schools, look at the companies you want to work for and make sure that they recruit at your target schools, preferably in big numbers. That’s the best way to go about short-listing your schools.

You are going to have to show the schools that you’ve had an above average career graph. If you’ve won awards and/or have been promoted and ideally have some international experience to go with it then you might have a better chance at some of the schools you’ve mentioned. You haven’t mentioned any international experience? You will need some cross-cultural story for most of the schools.

As for the rest of your profile, I like that your GMAT score is balanced and that you’ve been involved in a bunch of extra-curriculars. I want to point out that not all extra-curriculars are the same. The best ones are those in which you’ve been involved with the Charity/NGO for a prolonged period of time (which you have), ideally as part of the management committee or similar leadership role. If you can write about your involvement with one of the charities/NGOs in one of your essays and showcase your leadership potential then that will definitely help you differentiate yourself from the regular Indian IT crowd. Also, unless there is something truly exceptional, don’t focus too much on the stuff that you’ve done back in school because it shows that not much has happened to you since. If you’ve won these essay competitions then let it show in the essays you submit.

As for your school selection, I don’t think you should apply to more than 6 schools in general. 2 stretch, 3 target, and 1 safety. Given your consulting goals, you will have to apply to mostly stretch schools because most management consultancies don’t come to schools that would be target for you. Given that you’ve missed the Round 1 deadlines, I think you should pick 3 schools (4 if you’re REALLY motivated) because that’s the most someone can do per round without diluting the quality of their application. Just wanted to point out that give you’re a career switcher, you might want to consider a two-year program simply because you will most probably need that summer internship to make that career transition.

If I were you, I would try my luck with ISB this year and then spend a year preparing a stronger profile and getting a head start on my essays. You would be 26/27 at matriculation? and that’s a sweet spot for almost every school.

I know I’ve been a little harsh but I think that these are things you really need to consider before you spend X thousand dollars on an MBA. Hope this helped.

Hi legend ,
thanks for evaluating the profile.Yes true ,i have to project strong areas of activities where I Have involved for a longer time and shown good leadership skills.
True ,im working on ISB apps.Lets c what happens!!
Then i will go through the Bschool sites and in detail will find out about the courses they offer.

Provided my international experience is nil.Will it be a hurdle to get into any of the Bschools mentioned above.
How do u rate asian Bschools like NUS,NTU,HKUST?
Thanks for your guidance .

Give your Indian IT background; I think that you will DEFINITELY need international experience to stand a chance at the European schools you’ve mentioned. At the very least, try to interact with some of your foreign clients or something because you will have to write about your cross-cultural experiences in one of your essays.

Secondly, there is nothing wrong with any of the Asian schools you've mentioned. For that matter there is nothing wrong with ANY b-school. It all comes down to the question “How will that school help you get to wherever it is you want to go”? And that's the point I've been making!! You need to give some serious thought to what it is you want to do and see how each school will help you get there. Courses are important but secondary in importance. Your best bet is to check out the placement stats at the schools you are considering. If the companies that you're interested in recruit there, preferably in large numbers, then you should apply there. Chat with some Indian students who are currently in the program and ask them what they think. In the end (unfortunately), it doesn't matter how exciting the electives of a particular program really are. If they don't attract the companies (Similar caliber of companies) you are looking for, it won’t matter.

I see .I have few seniors and even classmates currntly in Asian as well as European Bschools i will just chat with them then .Abiout companies yes i will find that out.....now since im least aware of this process i had not paid attention to most important thing like whats my ultimate goal and where i want to be ....i will streamline my application process now.
Thanks legend ...ii will drop in a mail once i have any query